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Teething already?

My son turned 3 months old 3 days ago, and his first tooth finally broke through his gums today. I've noticed that my nipples have been a little sore, but I have a feeling its only going to get worse because he is a comfort nurser, and refuses to take a pacifier or bottle. He is constantly sucking on his fist, but doesn't seem to like or understand the concept of a teething ring. Is there anything I can do to keep my soreness from getting worse? I feel bad for my little fellow because he seems so young. What can I do to make him feel better too? Thanks in advance for all your help!

Re: Teething already?

My son was also an early teether at 4 months. He wasn't into teethers or pacifiers either. I had sore nipples from where his teeth (both on the bottom) were rubbing, but found that it resolved within a week. Maybe he learned to place his tongue over the teeth or was just a sloppy nurser because his gums hurt for that week, I don't know--you might try visiting a Lactation consultant or contact a LLL leader in your area to help with nursing positions/techniques for a teething baby. I did talk to my local LLL leader about teething and nursing, and she gave some helpful tips. If your LO is in pain, some Tylenol (check with dr about correct doseage) will help. For every day, I just gave him lots of toys to chew on. Also, you could try wrapping ice cubes or small pieces of ice in a washcloth and secure with a rubber band or string and give that to him to chew on; just make sure he doesn't eat the string or rubber band. My son was amused by this for a few days. I've also heard that wetting a wash cloth, then putting it in the freezer for 30 min can help too, but my son wasn't as keen on a hard, cold washcloth as he was with the ice in the cloth. Really he just chewed on his hands and any toys we put in front of him. He's still teething now, at 8 months, working on teeth #s 5 and 6, and has gotten the hang of the teether, but loves to chew on toys, plastic water bottles (filled with a little bit of water), anything that has a tag (toys, clothes, bibs, my nursing pillow, blankets), and whatever else he can get into his mouth. The drool is also non-stop; we go through tons of bibs every day!

Hang in there, mama. Just try to get his attention on something else he can chew on besides you! If he's really in pain, though, nursing will help. I guess you just have to balance out your pain and his.

Re: Teething already?

Every time ds has gotten a new tooth we go through a few weeks of sore nipples until he figures out how to latch properly again. The pp had some great advice. This link has some suggestions on reducing the scraping and also links to helping relieve baby's pain and the basics of latching which is helpful to look at again during teething.http://kellymom.com/ages/older-infant/biting/